Holy Cross turns to teens to calm agitated elderly patients

A Fort Lauderdale hospital is turning to teen-agers to calm down elderly patients who become agitated and confused.

In the first such program in South Florida, Holy Cross is recruiting high school students to help care for patients suffering delirium by playing cards with them, flipping through old books together or simply talking. And it is getting results.

"We've never done anything like this," said Candice Hickman, co-coordinator of the program, called Tender, Loving Care-Advanced. "We're redirecting [the patients] and bringing them to a happy time in their life."

Delirium, which is most common among elderly patients, is the sudden onset of severe confusion and disorientation. It can be caused by a change in setting, as a side effect to medicine, or dehydration. Up to 56 percent of hospitalized patients can experience it, said Hickman.

In extreme cases, patients are often restrained or given sedatives. But these are methods Holy Cross strives to avoid, says Hickman.

So the hospital decided to pilot the Hospital Elder Life Program developed by Yale University School of Medicine. While it uses volunteer care to prevent delirium, the hospital instead chose to use teens.

"They can bring a fresh perspective ... and joy to the older people," said Hickman.

By using the students, "we're trying to prevent delirium as well," said Lynn Coopersmith, co-coordinator of the program. "What we find is patients get lonely in the hospital. Sometimes being able to talk about things familiar to them prevents confusion and anxiety."

Since November, four students from Northeast High in Oakland Park have been spending two hours a week with the patients, getting credit for their service.

Sarah Dorvil, 17, admits she was nervous but signed up anyway.

"They told us this would be a first time, it would be unlike any other volunteer experience," said Dorvil, who wants to be a doctor. "You get to work first-hand with patients. It opened my eyes to what I want to do."

The students are assigned patients, but if a situation gets overwhelming they can call a nurse. So far, the program has run smoothly, with the worst cases being patients who don't want to talk or who give one-word answers, Dorvil said.

Caretakers say they're already seeing the program's impact.

"The fact that somebody comes in and takes an interest in their lives, not just their diagnosis, really calms them down," said nurse Jamie Chavez.

"They really make a big difference. Sometimes when we are busy… it's a great help for us," said patient care technician Doreen Smith.

Students spend a month training and practicing with a human patient simulator before they're allowed to interact with patients. They learn how to talk to patients, use books and cards as therapy, use basic hospital equipment and report any patient issues to the nurse.

"It's really hard sometimes because patients don't know where they are and you have to remind them,'' said Syllena Powell, a senior at Northeast.

"Sometimes you have to ask them the same question two or three times before they give you an answer," said Wayphian Henry, another senior at the school. "But when we leave, they're happy and they ask for hugs."

On a recent Monday, the students put on blue hospital scrubs and wheeled around a cart carrying cards with extra large numbers and books about the 1950s, such as "Hometown Memories" and "Life in the Fabulous '50s."

Student Maureen Sterlin said they use the books to point out pictures of old cars or scenes, hoping to trigger memories. "They teach me a lot, too."

Sometimes, she said, the patients offer advice on careers and love, or talk about their childhoods.

Not all the patients they see have delirium. The students often visit others in the unit to keep them company.

Bob "Popeye" Kieswetter, 80, was one of them. He talked about his love of sailing (that earned him the nickname Popeye), his distaste for card games and his advice for those aspiring to be doctors – "you know how old you get before you get your first buck -- 33."

Hickman said that's one of the program's unexpected benefits, "It gives the patient some purpose; it's definitely a win-win."

Holy Cross is recruiting volunteers for the official launch of the program in May.